In my continuing quest to learn more about raw food eating, I checked out Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Life Force Energy. It was meant to be interim reading while I waited for the other Carol Alt book, but I found it to be really captivating. Basically, Rose says that we are all made of Life Force Energy and to operate at our best (healthiest, most energetic, happiest) we must eat foods high in Life Force Energy, and avoid processed, low energy foods that drag us down. Yes, a lot of it comes off as very New Age-y, and she suggests things that are the opposite of conventional health wisdom: don’t count calories or fat, eat your heaviest meal at the end of the day, get your colon cleaned on a monthly basis, etc.

But, on the other hand, she recommends a primarily raw, vegetarian diet (there are exceptions to both) that is heavy on the fruits and veggies and limits snacking. She is also big on food combining. According to Rose, waste equals weight, and the standard American diet (the acronym is SAD, as she points out) heavily taxes the digestive tract. She recommends “quick-exit” meals that leave your stomach fairly quickly, and she cautions against eating again until those foods have cleared through. She is big on elimination, explaining how and when to do it properly, and she also recommends full-body dry brushing, massages, and soaks in Epsom salts for further detoxification. She is a big proponent of getting the body clean, so that it becomes light and balanced, which in turn brings about great joy.

It is a very compelling read. I admit, I had my skeptical moments, since a lot of what she says is very unconventional. Then again, I exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet, and I am still plagued with excess weight and low energy. I feel as though I have nothing to lose by trying her method, and I may have health and happiness to gain. The book outlines a 21-day plan, which includes recommended meals, breathing techniques, detoxifying applications, Life Force Energy exercises and journaling activities. It is a comprehensive, holistic plan, and I can’t wait to see how I feel in three weeks.